Driving school officials have blamed the many road accidents in the Central Kenya on young and untrained boda boda riders.
The officials told NTSA on Thursday that most of the accidents happening on roads in the region are caused by boda boda riders.
Harmon Ndung’u of Tramtel Driving School in Nyahururu, Laikipia county, said most of the motorbike riders lack driving licenses, insurance cover or both.
He said most of the riders who get driving licenses courtesy of funding by National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) upgrade to buying and driving Toyota Probox vehicles as a young, untrained generation of riders replaces them in the boda boda business.
“They do not go to any driving school and they are so many. That is a very big challenge and the government needs to do something about it,” he said.
He, however, said most of the older riders are well trained.
Samuel Keriche, the manager of Sakenja Driving School in Kinangop, Nyandarua county, said some of the riders are school-going children below 18 years who are given bikes by their parents and at times carry more than one passenger.
“Most of them do not even observe traffic rules, causing these many accidents,” he said.
He also attributed some of the accidents to dilapidated roads, adding that most of the accidents happen as drivers and riders try to avoid hitting potholes while at high speed.
Others, he said, are due to poor maintenance of vehicles like failure to replace worn-out tires.
They spoke during an engagement meeting between the National Transport and Safety Authority and driving schools at Westwood Hotel in Nyeri town.
Bora Guyo, the NTSA regional manager Central region, said one of the major causes of accidents on Kenya roads is human error.
Guyo said driving schools are the major stakeholders as they are the ones who train drivers before they are released on roads.
He said it is, therefore, important that road safety issues start with driving schools as they are the initial stakeholders in terms of road safety.
“The issue of human error is a major cause of accidents and it contributes to more than 80 per cent of road accidents and so we need drivers who are qualified and competent on our roads. That is why we decided to engage driving schools,” he said.
Guyo also appealed to motorists to drive safely and carefully especially during the festive season.
The region, he said, has recorded low accidents as the agency has been doing enforcement along major highways and training of stakeholders like matatu owners and driving schools.
He said NTSA has also been going to driving schools to test drivers graduating from those schools to ensure they are competent before they are issued with driving licenses and allowed to be on the road.
Guyo said the government has rolled out a programme to train motorbike riders and issue them with licenses to reduce accidents caused by riders.
